Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a snow guard structure for roof on which a solar cell panel is installed, and a snow guard fitting that is used for the snow guard structure.
Description of the Related Art
Generally, a structure for snow guard is provided on inclined roof in snowy areas in order to prevent snow accumulated on the roof from slipping down a roof surface and falling from the eaves. Such a structure is also required to be provided on roof on which a solar cell panel is installed and there is a structure in which a snow guard is integrally formed with a frame body holding an outer circumferential edge of the solar cell panel. However, when the snow guard is integrally formed with the frame body, the whole frame body needs to be replaced if the snow guard is damaged. Furthermore, the frame body including the snow guard and a frame body for a solar cell panel that is installed on roof requiring no snow guard need to be separately manufactured.
Meanwhile, provision of a snow guard through a member for fixing a solar cell panel onto roof has been proposed (see Japanese Patent No. 3776631). With the technique as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3776631, frame bodies of adjacently arranged solar cell panels are placed on long crosspiece members (rails) arranged in parallel at an interval on the roof. Furthermore, a supporting member arranged between the two frame bodies fixes the frame bodies to the crosspiece member. A cover covering the supporting member between the frame bodies is mounted on the supporting member and the snow guard is provided integrally with the cover. This technique provides an advantage that common frame bodies for the solar cell panels which are installed on roof requiring no snow guard can be used.
However, with the technique as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3776631, the snow guard is mounted on the crosspiece member using the supporting member. Therefore, an installation position of the snow guard is limited to a position on the supporting member and the number of snow guards is limited to the number of supporting members. The degree of easiness of the slip-down and falling of snow depends on various conditions such as snow accumulation amount, the inclination degree of the roof, the length of the roof in the roof inclination direction, and the roof facing direction. Some roofs such as roof facing a neighbor's site and roof facing a public road are required to prevent the slip-down and falling of snow with higher importance whereas others are required to prevent the slip-down and falling of snow with lower importance.
In view of this, a technique capable of providing the snow guard on the roof on which the solar cell panel is installed with high degree of freedom of the installation position of the snow guard and the installation number thereof has been desired.